FOUR men stole a #32,000 sports car in a terrifying robbery at a Coventry shopping centre car park.

The robbers told their 19-year-old victim they had guns and threatened to use them before snatching his car keys at the West Orchards multi-storey car park.

Two of the robbers then pushed their hands into the top of their trousers, as if they were about to pull out weapons.

The frightened teenager backed off and a third gang member reached out and grabbed his car keys. They also stole his ticket so they could get out of the car park.

The third and first men got into the BMW - registration Y223 YYW - and sped off while the second and fourth ran out of the car park.

The car was spotted minutes later in the Lockhurst Lane area of Coventry by police officers who had heard of the incident over their radios.

Sgt Stan Carvell, from the Foleshill police sector, said: "We followed it for a short distance, but it was travelling at some speed and the officers lost sight of it in Churchill Avenue."

Anyone who may have seen the car after that is asked to contact police immediately.

Two of the robbers fled in the victim's blue BMW Z3 and the other two ran off.

The gang pounced as the 19-year-old was returning to his car at 2.50pm yesterday.

A West Midlands police spokesman said: "The car is quite distinctive and as the car park is in the middle of the city centre we are hoping that people may have seen the incident or perhaps seen the car being driven off.

"The victim did not actually see a gun but the intimation was there and he felt threatened."

Paul Haynes, manager of West Orchards, said he would be liaising with police and looking at security camera footage.

Descriptions of the men have been released. All are Asian and aged about 23 or 24.

The first was 5ft 7in, with cropped hair, a thin moustache and beard and wearing a navy, long sleeved T-shirt and dark trousers.

The second is slightly taller with short hair, a thin moustache and beard, wearing a cream baseball cap, long T-shirt and dark trousers.

A third man is about 6ft and the fourth was between 6ft-6ft 1in, wearing a black waistcoat and dark T-shirt.